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Kurt shows up, and – to ;uf bourguignon suivi d’un clafoutis aux poires For you" He sets down a plastic cafeteria tray onto "
His e, somehow The still-war "Thank you"
He pushes back his hoodie "Nate said I could wait up with you so long as no one else ever finds out, under penalty of beheading But I don’t think he’d actually behead us"
My breath is bottling up inside my chest
"I’m sorry I couldn’t lie for you," he says "And I’ It feels like the old days, even though we spend the night co hoht, but the race is too close for me to sleep It’s still early in the States A live feed plays softly, volume turned down Predicted winners from all across A, I’iven a six seconds of joy when it shows a clip fro beside his mother and father and a few hundred red, white and blue balloons The camera moves, and the balloons obscure his face The feed switches to the gubernatorial race in Florida An hour later, my eyes are barely open when I hear the newsman with the bad toupee say, "And in the closest race of the night, New York senator Joseph Wasserstein is still fighting to hold on to his seat"
I lean in towards the screen As they watch the tallies, Mrs Wasserstein still looks fresh and cheerful – ever the supportive wife – although I assuiven her a touch-up The senator see a brave face
Josh looks exhausted and annoyed I hope his parents don’t see this footage later
Still…this isinto his ear, and Josh stands up straighter The man must have told him that he’s on TV The camera cuts away
The news drones on My burst of adrenalin fades
I wake up to one, and the covers have been neatly tucked around me There’s a one-word note beside my pillow: VICTORY
I have severely underestimated Josh’s parents In the wake of the senator’s success, I iined – at the very least – that they’d allow their son a celebratory phone call No such luck I wish I could tell Josh how happy I a I’ve never before felt this helpless or cut off
Two days later, the biggest ramme in New York has an exclusive with Senator Wasserstein I find the link on his website, of course The interview is standard political fluff, but the background Well It’s captivating
It’s Josh’s house
The ca rooh perhaps too orderly Delicate china plates hang in patterns on the walls Extravagant vases are stuffed with seasonal grasses and pheasant feathers It’s hard to i here Mrs Wasserstein joins hily out-of-place oil painting of the Saint-Michel métro station – an Art Nouveau beauty that’s heaped in chained bicycles and dull graffiti A teenaged boy languishes against one of the bike racks It’s St Clair Josh painted this portrait of his friend last year I saw it drying inside our school’s studio
The interviewer, a beaky woly asks about it, and Josh’s parents gush about their son’s pro response I’ve always assumed that the rift between Josh and his parents was caused by his desire to pursue a career in the arts, but their praise and support seeets it fro at his wife
"His appreciation for art, yes," she says "But the talent is all his own"
The interview flashes back to the polling station footage – Josh, so handso – and when it returns, he’s joined theain An inexplicable pressure mounts inside of me